1. Field of the Invention
The invention is a pouring spout made so that it can be attached to the rim of a paint can to facilitate pouring the paint without spillage and without leaving a residue of paint on the top of the can. The spout can be removed when the lid is replaced on the can and then re-attached when more paint is to be poured from the can. The spout is flexible so that it will conform to variations in can opening diameter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The opening of the typical present day paint can is designed to provide a configuration to which a removable lid can be securely attached. This is necessitated by the requirement that there be no spillage or contamination of the contents during shipping or during handling by the end user. It is also necessary to provide for repeated opening and closing of the can without damage. These objects were achieved by providing a deep channel around the edge of the can opening, into which a ridge around the edge of the lid can fit, and by providing a reinforcing bead around the inner edge of the can opening. This combination provides a secure fit between can and lid, while preventing deterioration of the edge of the opening during repeated use. There are, however, two undesirable side effects. First, the bead, and to some extent the channel, create turbulent flow of the paint when it is poured from the can. This turbulence results in flow of some paint down the outside of the can during pouring, requiring clean up or causing an undesirable mess. Second, after each pouring, some paint is trapped in the channel where it dries, causing the lid to stick to the can.
The present invention provides a removable pouring spout, designed to alleviate these problems. The pouring spout, which has a lower flange for stiffening, can be snapped onto the inner bead forming a rigid pouring spout of the desired configuration. This provide flow relatively free of turbulence because of the extension of the pouring cone from a point along the circumference of the inner bead to a lip extended from the can opening. It also prevents paint from ever flowing into the channel around the can opening, so that the lid will not become stuck in dried paint as before.
Other devices have been made which attempt to alleviate these problems, but the most similar devices suffer from various disadvantages as listed here. U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,890 utilizes small tabs to lock onto the inner bead of the can, providing very little stability and no sealing qualities. U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,340 relies on a gripping action on the inner and outer beads of the can, requiring that the attachment be sized exactly to fit the particular brand of can. It also fails to engage the inner bead to the same extent as does the present invention, so its ability to seal against paint leakage into the channel would not be as great.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,489 also relies on a reduced engagement of the inner bead, promoting leakage, and it must be sized exactly to fit the particular can. U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,249 relies on only two points of engagement of the inner bead and the bottom of the channel in the can. U.S. Pat. No. 1,867,060 is designed to fit older paint cans, and if inserted in a present day can would not likely have the necessary rigidity. U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,288 lacks any feature, such as the lower flange of the present invention, to provide rigidity, and it has no means for maintaining the ends of the spout in contact with the inner bead of the can opening, such as the interlocking ends of the present invention.